The Truth About Love
by Cheeto Bandito
Summary: Kagome knows she loves Inuyasha. And he knows he loves her. But what will they have to go through before they admit it?


Konnichiwa! Im the Cheeto Bandito! Me and my Gang of Banditos present to you this story. Though, I wrote it... I typed it on my computer... So I guess credit goes only to Me, Myself, and I. Oh, and Rumiko Takahashi for creating my beloved Inuyasha. MINE!!! Even though I dont technically own him, I have stolen his heart (and put it in a jar on my desk! MWAHAHAHA!) Sorry for borrowing that idea, Stephen King. By the way, its pretty long, so stay with me and R/R! Nonetheless, I must now begin to tell you the tales that only I know, so that when I am no longer of this world, my Bandito fame will stay with me. Huh? What was that? Im not famous? Well, read this, non-believer!  
  
By the way here is a key to understanding my weirdo writers lingo:  
  
--- Beggining/ End of Dream  
  
' Thoughts  
  
" Speech

Chapter One: Cold Snow, Hot **  
  
Setting: Fuedal Japan, beneath the God Tree. November 4th. 1:00 A.M.**  
  
---The darkness surrounded her. Her long black hair swirled in the bitter wind. 'I cant remember anything. Who am I?' she though. Suddenly a bright light penetrated the darkness. Its warmth brought one name to her mind: Inuyasha.---  
  
Inuyasha was wide awake watching over his friends with amber eyes. He sat cross legged at the base of the God Tree, his ears perked. To his left slept Shippo, an orphaned Kitsune child, and Miroku, a lecherous monk. On Inuyasha's right were Sango, a skilled demon slayer, Kirara, Sango's cat demon, and Kagome, a miko, and the reincarnation of Kikyo, Inuyasha's first love. As his golden eyes passed over her, she shivered.  
  
'Wimp,' Inuyasha thought. 'Its not that cold out here.' In spite of that, he removed his red fire rat robe draped it over her. She almost seemed to smile.  
  
**  
Setting: Fuedal Japan, beneath the God Tree. November 5th. 10 AM**  
  
The next morning, Kagome awoke to a gray, cloudy sky. Noticing Inuyasha's robe, she blushed, faintly remembering her dream.  
  
"Finally awake, Kagome? I thought you'de never get up," snapped Inuyasha.  
  
Before Kagome could reply, a gust of cold wind blew her "covers" out of her reach. A single snowflake landed on her nose.  
  
"Inuyasha look!" Kagome called as she rose to her feet. "It's snowing! Come on, I have to get home!"  
  
"Whats the big hurry, Kagome? Its just snow." Inuyasha didnt budge.   
  
"On the first snow of every year, Souta and I have a snowball fight." Kagome turned toward the well, the link between Inuyasha's era and her own.   
  
Inuyasha easily caught up to her. " Dont think for one second that you're having a fight without me to protect you."   
  
Kagome laughed. "You've never had a snowball fight before have you. All you have to do is make snowballs and throw them at each other." **  
  
Setting: Current era, Higurashi shrine. November 5th. 10:15 am  
**  
In a few moments, they were at Kagome's front door. Souta had snuck up behind them. He hit Inuyasha in the back of the head with a snowball.  
  
"Hey kid, thats not funny!" Inuyasha started building a snowball.  
  
"I'll be right back, guys. Im going to put on some warm clothes." Kagome shut the door and ran up the stairs to her room. **  
  
Setting current era, Higurashi shrine Nov. 5 10:30 am  
**  
When she returned, Inuyasha was holding a boulder-size snowball above his head, ready to throw it at Souta.  
  
"Inuyasha," she called seductively. "SIT!" This activated the spell on his necklace and caused him to land face first in the ground, with his snowball on top of him.  
  
"You little wench! Thats not fair! Ill get you for that!" And so the fight began. **  
  
Setting: Current era, Higurashi shrine, November 5th 8 pm**  
  
When it began to get dark, they went inside. Inuyasha was soaked, but the other two where completely dry.   
  
"Inuyasha, we sure got you," Souta exclaimed. Inuyasha just glared in reply.  
  
"Ill go make everyone some hot cocoa." Kagome said as she walked toward the kitchen, removing her coat.  
  
Inuyasha headed toward the stairs.   
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" inquired Souta.  
  
"Upstairs. Is there a problem with that?" Inuyasha growled threateningly. But he didnt wait for an answer, he just went up the stairs three at a time and into Kagome's room.  
  
He didnt know exactly why, but he felt compelled to snoop around. 'What am I even looking for?' Inuyasha wondered. Then he noticed a framed picture on Kagome's desk. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Kagome, the three girls she hung out with and a boy. And this guy, whoever he was, had his arm around Kagome.  
  
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
In a few seconds, she was in the doorway. "What? Wait a second, why are you in here?"  
  
"That doesnt matter... Who is THIS???" He pointed at the boy in the picture.  
  
"Since when do you care, Inuyasha?" She had raised her voice slightly louder that it should be, given the situation.  
  
Before he could yell back, the doorbell rang, and Kagome ran to answer it.   
  
Inuyasha sat down, sulking and dripping, because Kagome had some other guy in her life. He listened to her voice downstairs.  
  
"Hojou! What are you doing here?"  
  
A voice Inuyasha didnt recognise, a MALE voice, answered, " I came to see you, Kagome."  
  
"Oh, thanks Hojou. Why dont you come have some hot chocolate. I made a lot."  
  
Suddenly, Inuyasha bounded down the stairs, unsheathing his Tetsusaiga. "Who's this, Kagome?" he demanded. "Hey, thats the jerk from the picture. Why is he here?"  
  
Hojou was staring at Inuyasha's dog ears. "Who... who are you? What are you? Stay away from Kagome, you freak!"  
  
"Who do you think you're calling a freak?" Inuyasha raided his sword.  
  
Kagome stepped between them. "SIT!"  
  
Inuyasha landed facedown at Hojou's feet. "What did you do that for, wench?!"  
  
"How dare you call Kagome a wench!" Hojou warned.  
  
Inuyasha rose to his feet. "What are you gonna do about it?"  
  
"Inuyasha stop it! Thats enough!" Tears welled up in Kagome's warm brown eyes.  
  
Inuyasha looked exasperated and helpless, as he always did when she cried. " Co... Come on Kagome. Stop the tears. Theres no reason to cry." He sheathed Tetsusaiga.  
  
Hojou's eyes widened. "Is he... no... tha cant be possible. Kagome wouldnt do that." He said, almost to himself.  
  
"Wouldnt do what?" Kagome looked up at Hojou and sniffled.  
  
He lauged nervously. " For a second there I could have sworn that you two were... were..."  
  
"Spill it! We dont have all day." Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"I thought you two were a couple."  
  
Inuyasha blushed so deeply that his face matched his fire rat robes. Luckily, nobody noticed.  
  
"No wonder you wont go out with me," joked Hojou, but his eyes showed that he was serious.  
  
'She... she doesnt like him?' Inuyasha thought, relieved. 'He obviously likes her though. Man, Kagome, why do you lead him on like that?'  
  
Meanwhile, Kagome frantically searched her mind for an excuse. 'Aha!' "Thats not it! I couldnt go out with you because of my ailments."  
  
Inuyasha stared skeptically. "What ailments, Kagome? You're perfectly healthy."  
  
"You must not know her all that well, if you dont know about all that," said Hojou.  
  
"Oh, yeah? And just how much do you know about Kagome?"   
  
"Kagome has numerous ailments, which cause her to stay in bed for weeks. Thus she is not at school often."  
  
"You idiot. Kagome isnt sick. havent you noticed that she's never home, and she only shows up for tests? And does she look sick?"  
  
Hojou looked as if someone had slapped him. (Except without the handprint on his face.) "Kagome, is this true? Then where have you been?" He was afraid of the answer.  
  
"Hojou, will you give Inuyasha and I a moment?" she grabbed Inuyasha's sleeve and pulled him out of Hojou's hearing range. "Inuyasha, what are you doing? You're going to make him hate me!"  
  
"Its obvious that you dont like him. You're just leading him on." Inuyasha said indifferently.  
  
"Thats not your business, Inuyasha. Go back to your own time! Who needs you here?"  
  
"Who said I wanted to be here?" Inuyasha shouted. He turned and marched angrily out the door, glaring at Hojou as he passed him.  
  
Inuyasha was almost to the wellhouse when he realized he did want to be here. His favorite branch in the God Tree beckoned him.   
  
Finding a comfortable spot, he settled into his thoughts. 'Whats her problem, anyway? Shes practically living a lie. That Hojou is right where shee wants him, around when shes available, and lied to when shes busy. What a wench. Does she do the same thing to me? when she comes here to supposedly get supplies, does she really go see him? Crap! What is Kagome doing in there with him?' Inuyasha could picture her in his mind lip-locked with Hojou.  
  
He jumped down and bounded to the door. "Kagome, Im back!" He followed her scent to the kintcher, where she sat across from Hojou drinking hot chocolate.  
  
Kagome was relieved that he was near her again, though she didnt show it. "What do you want," she inquired, her voice full of ice, despite the warm mug in her hands.  
  
"I had to make sure he wasnt going to try anything."  
  
"Get your mind out of the gutter!"  
  
Hojou rose from the table. For some reason, Inuyasha made him feel uncomfortable. "I better go now. Thanks for the hot cocoa, Kagome," he said as he left.  
  
Kagome ran after him, and met him halfway down the steps that led to the road. "Hojou, you dont have to leave. Inuyasha will behave."  
  
"I have errands to run for my mom anyway," he said before embracing her. "Ill visit you again, I promise."  
  
"Get your hands off of her!" Inuyasha growled from the top step. His eyes showed hatred and anger, neither of which Kagome wanted to be directed at her. Was there also a hint of jealousy in those amber eyes?  
  
But Inuyasha's words only made Hojou hold her tighter. He was silently wishing she would wrap her arms around him. But he knew she wouldnt, so he kissed her cheek and stepped back.  
  
Inuyasha pounced, sending Hojou and himself rolling down the stone staircase. "You should have listened, and kept your face to yourself. Iron reaver soul..."  
  
He was interrupted by Kagome, who was running down towards them. "Stop Inuyasha, leave him alone!"  
  
Grumbling curses, he got up and faced her. "You let people take advantage of you too much, Kagome."  
  
She was about to reply when, on the fourth to last step, she tripped and fell against his chest. (yes, for the 100th and final time, just like Inuyasha and Kikyo on that dock scene. Only better cuz Kikyo isnt in this one!)  
  
Hojou had risen to his feet. 'Hate to admit it but the look nice together.' he thought as he left unnoticed. (yeah i know, its a stupid way to get him out of the picture but I haaaaaaaaaaaaad to.)  
  
Kagome was fairly shaken, as four steps is longer than you might want to fall, especially into the arms of someone you have secretly loved for a long time.  
  
Inuyasha instinctively wrapped his arms around her. "I worry about you Kagome," he said softly. "Someday you might trust the wrong guy. Who knows what could happen."  
  
"You're... concerned about me? Why?"  
  
"I..." he let go of Kagome. "I dont want you to get hurt. Is that against the law now?"  
  
"Its really late Inuyasha. Its gotta be almost eleven." Kagome said, changing the subject.  
  
"Fine. Lets go back to Miroku and the others."  
  
"Why dont we just the night here?" She took a step and winced.  
  
"Kagome, can you walk alright?"  
  
"I guess when I tripped I twisted my ankle. But I can manage." She took another step and winced again.  
  
Inuyasha picked her up and began going up the stairs.   
  
"I told you I would be fine!" she yelled, thought she was secretly thankful.  
  
"Yeah, well, it would've taken you two years to get up the steps."  
  
Kagome leaned against his chest, and soon his rythmic walking lolled her to sleep. 


End file.
